Wettest July on Record for Grandfather Mountain

Published Thursday, August 1, 2013 at 4:51 pm

Aug. 1, 2013. The weather station at the top of Grandfather Mountain measured record-shattering rainfall this month. The rainfall total of 23.91 inches was 17.93 inches, or 300 percent, above the 57-year average total for July of 5.98 inches. This total more than doubled the previous record for the most rain to fall during the month of July. The past record was 11.92 inches of rain in 1989.

Grandfather Mountain

This record measurement also makes July 2013 the second wettest month in Grandfather Mountain’s 57-year-history of recording weather. September 2004 holds on to the top record with 32.3 inches of rain recorded when the remnants of hurricanes Frances and Ivan came through the area.

Rain for the year-to-date is 64.54 inches, which is 26.53 inches (or 70 percent) above the norm for this time of year.

Grandfather Mountain measures precipitation at multiple locations on the Mountain. The rainfall measured at lower elevations on the Mountain is generally greater than the rainfall measured at the top because wind is less of a factor. Entrance Gate employees recorded 29.24 inches of rain for the month and the naturalist staff recorded 28.91 inches at the weather equipment near the Fudge Shop. Both stations measured rain on 28 of the 31 days of the month.

The automatic weather station at the top of Grandfather Mountain recorded the average high temperature for the month as 66.4 degrees and the average low temperature as 56.3 degrees. These numbers read a few degrees higher than the State Climate Office data from Mt. Mitchell State Park. The average high temperature at Mt. Mitchell was 64.7 degrees and the average low temperature was 54.1 degrees.

The highest three-second gust during the month was 63.6 mph recorded July 23.

For more information on Grandfather Mountain’s weather data or to access current conditions please visitwww.grandfather.com.